Hickenlooper names longtime magistrate Berenato as new county judge

Apr. 26, 2013

Mary Joan Berenato / Coloradoan file

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A longtime magistrate has been appointed to the bench in Larimer County.

Gov. John Hickenlooper on Friday picked Mary Joan Berenato to fill the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Ronald L. Schultz. She’ll take her new position Tuesday.

Berenato currently serves as a district court magistrate in the 8th Judicial District, which serves Larimer County. A magistrate has all the powers of a judge, but can be hired and fired by the chief judge. Judges, on the other hand, are subject to retention votes by the public. The annual salary for a county judge is $123,067.

As a magistrate, Berenato was assigned to a domestic relations docket, handling things like divorce and custody cases. She previously handled juvenile cases but was reassigned in 2010 after county commissioners complained that the way she was deciding cases was hurting their efforts to manage their budget. County officials wanted to spend their resources on protecting the youngest children in the juvenile system. Berenato argued that older children deserved just as much attention, depending on their circumstances.

Berenato in 2007 was named Outstanding Judicial Officer in Colorado, recognized in part for her work in creating collaborative relationships and maintaining a child-first approach to her work overseeing the juvenile docket.

Before becoming a magistrate, Berenato was a deputy district attorney in Colorado’s 8th and 19th Judicial Districts. She worked as an associate attorney at the firm of Otto, Porterfield & Post, LLC, as an assistant county attorney in Eagle County, and as a law clerk for Chief Judge Gaspar Perricone in the 1st Judicial District.

Berenato earned a bachelor’s degree from Colorado State University and a law degree from Temple University.

As a magistrate, Berenato was not subject the reviews and recommendations by a Fort Collins-based Commission on Judicial Performance. As a county judge, however, she will have to undergo the review process and then stand for retention after a two-year provisional term. After that, she will be subject to review and a retention election every four years.

David Ayraud with the Larimer County Attorney's Office and Kraig Ecton, assistant attorney for the city of Fort Collins, were also are finalists for the position.